sport.bt.com/sport-football/columnists/centurion-wayne-rooney-is-already-an-all-time-england-great-S11363943529083This is not a post to bash Rooney from me, but it's an interesting point of view, though I do disagree with it.
Wayne Rooney expressed rare qualities for a footballer when he spoke ahead of winning his 100th England cap on Saturday.
The Three Lions captain was modest and humble this week when he said he wouldn’t be a legend like Sir Bobby Charlton unless England win the World Cup.
And, in my view, he was being too modest. Make no mistake: Rooney will be an all-time England great by the time he retires.
By then, the 29-year-old will probably have passed Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps and he definitely would have beaten Sir Bobby’s goalscoring record.
Rooney has scored 43 goals, Sir Bobby scored 49, while Gary Lineker managed 48 and Jimmy Greaves 47.
The Manchester United striker is now captain for club and country, has time on his side and will surely beat those records to write his name in the history books.
By doing that, Rooney should be remembered as an England legend, an all-time great and one of the best players his country has ever produced.
Don’t take it out on him just because England have gone through lean times during his international career.
Rooney has done everything he could - and more. He’s on the verge of being a record-breaker. He played with some of England’s ‘Golden Generation’ - the likes of Frank Lampard, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard - but they couldn’t end the long wait for success.
It’s been hurting since 1966 when Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Geoff Hurst and England’s World Cup winning heroes all became legends by lifting the biggest prize in football.
England went so close in Italia 90 and Euro 96 and yet ultimately fell short. But does that mean no-one since the boys of ’66 should be considered greats? Hardly.
Lineker is an all-time great. I’d make a passionate case for Beckham because of the profound effect he has had on football on this country. A whole football generation has been shaped by the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder.
I’d even go so far as to say Gerrard is an England legend. The best of his generation and brilliant to watch - even though I’m one of those who think 'legend' is a word grossly overused.
It was fascinating hearing former Liverpool hero John Aldridge the other day say that he would put Gerrard ahead even of Kenny Dalglish as the club’s best player of all time.
Aldridge’s argument was that Dalglish was surrounded by ten other great players and they helped raise his level and Liverpool to win things.
But Gerrard, Aldridge said, was surrounded by players who wouldn’t get in Liverpool’s reserves during their golden years - and the current skipper lifted a whole team to greater heights.
It’s similar for Rooney. Yes, there have been mistakes along the way. That red card against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final. Berating the England fans after the draw with Algeria in 2010. There have been transfer sagas and off-the-field shenanigans.
But he has grown up in the public eye, he’s now earned the captaincy and has always given 100 per cent commitment, even though sometimes it doesn’t come off.
England have disappointed along the way. Rooney burst onto the scene at Euro 2004, he looked like he would be a world-class superstar and, ever since then, the national team have failed to deliver or live up to the hype.
But the striiker has also been surrounded by players who are not as good as the ‘Golden Generation’. Yet, he has gone onto collect cap after cap, score goal after goal and play as if representing England means everything to him. I love that passion.
In an era when we have debates over whether England still means as much, Rooney has proved that it does to him. And that’s a player who has won so much for Manchester United. Premier League titles, Champions League, the lot. What a fabulous career.
So, when Rooney - as I’m convinced he will - beats Sir Bobby Charlton and Peter Shilton, let’s not even have the debate as to whether he’s a legend or a great. He’s already proved that.
And if you want further proof, then just listen to him say with great passion and belief that he wants to emulate Sir Bobby by winning the World Cup in 2018. And if that doesn’t get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up then nothing will.
I love the socceroos but have a hard time supporting Aus in a lot of sports because of horrible childhood pom bashing memories. I've never really taken to Aus in general the way I should have. It's freaking paradise but it's mostly just a place to live.
